Mid Point Music Festival

This past weekend was Mid Point Music Festival in Cincinnati!!  Easily one of my most favorite weekends of the year.

I actually kicked things off early by biking down to the Christian Moerlein beer hall downtown for the pre MPMF kick off party!  The Pass and Machines Are People Too played and it was fun to check out that venue since I didn't make it there for any shows during the actual festival.

Thursday night I was off on my bike and headed to Hillie's for a Chromeo pre-party.  She lives around the corner from Washington Park so it was perfect to hang out and drink before the show.

Then it was off to see Chromeo who put on a super fun and dancey show!  Afterwards, I had my only snafu of the weekend.  I got in a bike accident!  My front tire got caught on the street car track in the middle of the street and I bit it. Hard!  Luckily, my friend was right behind me to help me out!

Other bands I saw Thursday night:
River Whyless @ Arnold's 
Fathers @ the Know
Violent Mae @ the Know
The Almighty Get Down @ Mainstay

The Almighty Get Down... my MPMF favorite!!

Friday, I was back at it!  I biked again and had so much fun just bopping around.

Friday bands:
Real Estate @ Midway
Holy Ghost Tent Revival @ Arnold's
The Locals @ MOTR
Joshua Powell and the Great Train Robbery @ MOTR
Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands @ Pitifuls

Real Estate.

Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands.

I actually had every intention of making it out for night 3 but Josh and Ashley's wedding was too much fun!  Dancing all night long to the Turkeys made it worth missing a night.

Overall, so much fun wandering around and discovering new bands.  Can't wait until next year! 

Summer Weddings

Erik & Angie
They were married at Elk Creek Vineyards.  DJ Buttonz (Dave!) was the DJ and there was a light show!  Made for a most excellent dance party.

Studs!

Mara and Brian, best dressed couple!

Matthew and Lindsey
I was excited to spend a weekend in Lexington, KY for their wedding.  I haven't spent much time there since I graduated back in 2007 so it was terribly nostalgic.
Highlights:
Visitng Sara and baby Luna!
Going to Enoteca with Scott and Laura Hunt on Friday night.
Lunch at Pazzo's Saturday.
Buying a new red dress at Black Market for $40!

The cake topper Sara made for the bride and groom.

This cake topper.  So cute!!

Little West Sixth Brewing cans on the back!

The lovely ceremony and fun reception with music by the Turkeys.

Myself, Dave, Clay and Chase looking down at the reception.

With Mr. Louisville in front of the Round Barn.

Brett and Jessica
These two got hitched the weekend before in Jess' home state of California.

Tyler and Kevin at the California reception.

Because I was going to Portland that same month I couldn't swing two big trips but I was able to make the reception they hosted the weekend after.  We all showed up at The Grand a little disoriented because we didn't come from a ceremony.  But the open bar and appetizers helped us get acclimated.
I danced the night away thanks to DJ Buttonz!

Abbey and Mike
After the bachelorette and shower festivities I was ready for their big day!  I was asked to do a reading at their ceremony so I was a part of the rehearsal dinner and wedding day.
They got married at a barn in Dry Ridge, The Josephina.

At the rehearsal dinner.

Pre-ceremony selfie with the bride.

Josh and AshleyLast but not least the winner for best reception!  These two got hitched at a barn in Union, KY, Farmhaven. They Turkeys played their reception and then DJ Buttonz took care of the music during their break and after, late into the night!  The fog machine and light show put this reception over the top!  So so fun.

The boys gettin' that garter!

Turkeys in the fog.

Whew, it was quite a wedding season!  Cheers to all the newly betrothed! 

Carly got married!!

Carly & Adam

Back in May one of my best friends got married!!  I was honored to be a bridesmaid which meant I got to be a part of all of the wedding happenings!

The festivities started on Friday evening where we had the rehearsal at the church followed by dinner at the museum!
The bride got tipsy enough to convince to go out afterwards and I suggested Igby's as a place her Charleston crew would enjoy. And they did!  So much so that I had to cut Carly off after a few drinks and drag her home with me.  Wedding day started early the next day.

Ruthie, Jay, Me, Brian, Mara

Carly and I were up around 8 to start the day.  Pink Lou Lou arrived to start on hair a little after 8 and my friend, Leyla, came over to finish up with makeup a few hours after that.

It was funny to get a few professional photos at my house first.  Hi, bar cart!

My bike with the brides shoes.

After we were all ready we took a few pictures at my house then were off to Covington for some more formal shots.  It was funny because there were about 5 other wedding parties that came through the same park to get pictures.  I decided our bridesmaid dresses were the best and I felt bad for other brides having to see Carly.  She looked STUNNING!!

From there the limo scooped us up and we scurried into the waiting room at the back of the church while everyone arrived.  This is one of the only pictures I took that day.  The rest I took from the photographer.  It was nice to put my phone away and just enjoy the day.

The ceremony was perfect and then it was time to party!  The wedding party hung out and drank in the limo while Carly and Adam got some sunset pictures then it was off to the Reception.

Drinks!  Eats!  Dancing!  Drinks!  Cake!  Dancing!  So much fun!  The end of the night was a blur but I definitely went home and crashed.  Hard!

So lucky to have those Hickeys in my life.

Ch ch ch changes!

Change is in the air. Literally.  It's fall y'all.  The change in the weather had me thinking about this blog.  I enjoy my own ramblings, timelines, recipes, recaps and lists but the title, Wanderlusty Rose, didn't really capture that.

xo, L. Rose is me.

Selfie with my home girls.

Seattle & Portland, a timeline!

Another trip, another timeline!

Friday, August 29
My flight leaves Cincinnati at 7:30am and I arrive in Seattle by noon.  Thanks for the ride, mom!
I UBER to meet Mr. Louisville downtown. 
He used Hotel Tonight to book a room that morning at the Warwick.
We drop our bags and head out for lunch.
I had the vegetable pot pie at Local 360, he had fish and chips.
We shop around at the flagship Nordstrom store(!) and Nordstrom Rack then head back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
We head to a bar near the convention center to grab a drink beforehand.  A huge gamer conference just got out and it was an interesting crowd!
Off to dinner at Blueacre Seafood where we dined on oysters, crab legs and a lobster!

After our feast we call it a night.

Saturday, August 30
It's raining and this shocks me.
I borrow an umbrella from the hotel and we head to brunch at CJ's Eatery.
We walk along the pier and past the Market.
We stop for a bloody mary and an eye opener at Lola.  A Tom Douglas restaurant!
Then it's off to the Amtrak station to catch a train to Portland!

All aboard!!

Ellie and Sean pick us up and wisk us off to Division Street.
We put our name in at Pok Pok and head to a The Richmond Bar nearby to wait for 2 hours!
Pok Pok is a pretty big deal and I'd say it was worth the wait.  We tried a bunch of delicious dishes, the wings and the Muu Paa Kham Waan (beef collar) were standouts but everything was pretty delish.  Our server, however, was hilariously blase and totally unhelpful.  My first Portland pretentious hipster experience!
After dinner we hit up Salt and Straw for pints of Rocky Road, Sweet Corn Buttermilk and Coffe & Bourbon to take home.

Sunday, August 31
We sleep in and head out to grab a quick breakfast.
Pine State Biscuits had a line 3 blocks long!!  So, we opted for Waffle Window instead. I devoured the Whole Farm Waffle and shared a Berry Bliss, too.
I didn't feel bad about the carbs because we went on a hike!
Multnomah Falls were amazing and we hiked to the very top.  The trail was very crowded at the beginning but once the switchbacks started it thinnned out a bit.

Then it was a quick stop at home before heading out for a Shangai Tunnel Tour.  I'm not sure I would recommend this but some parts were interesting.  Mostly, it felt like being stuck in a stuffy basement for 90 minutes.
After the tour we took a stroll by Voodoo Doughnuts but the line was ridiculous and the homeless were aplenty so we skipped out and went for drinks instead at APEX Bar.
Then we had dinner at Foster Burger. Our table split the Black & White Fries which had parmesan, truffle oil and were served with a house made squid ink aioli.  They were ah-mazing!

Monday, September 1
One of Sean and Mr. L's Beta Brothers was coming over so I helped Ellie prepare a most excellent brunch! I had a bloody mary with bacon vodka while everyone else sipped on freshly ground then brewed coffee.  It's a wonder I didn't become a coffee lover on this trip but alas.
We had homemade chicken salad over greens, bacon, sourdough pancakes with berries and cream, eggs cooked with mushroom, onion and tomatoes and fresh watermelon and huckleberries.  A feast!

Mr. Louisville and Ellie.

Afterwards we lazed around and took a long walk in the neighborhood where I learned the difference between Craftsman, Old Portland, Tudor, 4 Square homes. And more!  For the record, Sean and Ellie have the most beautiful Crafstman home I've ever seen!

Sean and Ellie's.

We had early dinner reservations at Ava Gene's which is another Portland hot spot.  Everything was good but the meatballs made with prime rib were something else.

With full bellies we called it an early night.

Tuesday, September 2
After eating some brunch leftovers it was off to the airport to head back home.

I was basking in the sun on the stoop and when I looked up Mr. L as already in the car ready to go!

I picked up Where'd You Go, Bernadette for my flight home and LOVED it!!  Made the flight home fly by. ;)

Good Eatin' in Louisville

It's no secret that I have been spending lots of time in Louisville as of late.  One of my favorite things about the city, aside from Mr. Louisville, are all the restaurants. There are so many and I just don't feel like Newport/Cincinnati compares!  I've listed some of my memorable food moments below.

I'm still thinking about the cornmeal pancake I had at Silver Dollar months ago.

North End Cafe is my favorite.  Maybe my most favorite?  I've only ever been for brunch but I am obsessed with their salads. I like to pop in by myself and chat with Andrew at the bar.  We even invented our own drink.  A Black and Rad.  Stiegl Radler on the bottom Guinness on the top and the perfect brunch beer.

I had the most amazing ribs at Doc Crow's and I really dug the atmosphere.

Cumberland Brews is my go-to when I want to grab a beer.  Also, their fried green tomatoes are delish!

I'm a sucker for some good Mexican food and El Camino is a fun place for it.  The atmosphere is the coolest!  I could eat chips and listen to the vintage surfer music all day. They were even nominated by Bon Appetit as one of their 50 best new restaurants for 2014!

Speaking of Mexican, we went to Wild Rita's before catching Bill Maher one night and I loved their cocktails!  WARNING: I LOVE spicy food so I was excited to try a sampling of their salsas.  However, their hottest, pinche caliente, was inedible.  TOO HOT!! Pinche caliente = Hot shit.

Mr. L's favorite restaurant is Ramsi's.  The service was too terrible the time I went there for me to take it seriously but they have a very eclectic menu so I'll definitely give it another try.  It reminds me of my Newport favorite, York St. Cafe, but 10 times the menu.

Monday night is wing night at Shenanigan's and I could drink their mixed BBQ/Hot wing sauce.  They also have my favorite kind of jalapeno poppers filled with cheddar cheese.  Bar food at it's best!

I've mentioned the burgers from Grind before.  So good!  But they've recently added a permanent location in addition to their food truck that I can't wait to try.

We stopped into Baby D's Bagel and Deli before a bike ride one day and I was seriously impressed.  Their bagel sandwiches are so good!   I crave a good veggie sandwich so I loved their Hogan's Fountain with cream cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sprouts, cheddar and brown mustard on a bialy.

Sapporo for sushi and hibachi has always treated us right!

Mr. Louisville loves his steak.  We've been to Jeff Ruby's and Morton's.  Jeff Ruby wins, obviously.  I'm not much of a steak snob but the service was amazing.

There are some places that are on our list like Mussel and Burger Bar, 610 Magnolia, Harvest, Bahn mi Hero, Sergio's, just about every new restaurant opening up on Bardstown Road and so many more!

What am I missing, Louisville?  Any other suggestions?

Showering Abbey

This Sunday I hosted a Bridal Shower Brunch for Abbey.

 A picture of Abbey and Mike the night before the shower.  We went to Rhinegeist for our friend, Ashley's 30th birthday.

I kept the decorations simple.  Flowers from my parents' garden.

For drinks I had mimosas and a Blood Mary bar.

Over drinks, I asked Abbey questions that Mike answered for me earlier in the week.  Here were 2 of my favorites:

Q. What is your most commonly used phrase?
A. Hmmm? if someone says "That pisses me off!" I always say "It's better to be pissed off then pissed on". Also... I act that part out in the movie "Hook" Where I take my fingers and smush her face around and say " There you are Peter" pretty weird. 

Q. Who is her celebrity crush? Yours?
A. (Hers) Ryan Gosling (Me) Zoey Deshanel and Jessica Simpson.



For games, I downloaded a game of scattergories that went over very well!  At the last minute I picked up a few gifts at Kroger.  These little succulents were 2 for $7.

 

MENU:
Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
Powdered, glazed and chocolate doughnut holes
Baked ham and cheese sandwiches
Whole wheat penne with butternut squash and goat cheese
Bacon
Crustless Broccoli Cheddar Quiche
Fruit

The shower was scheduled from 11am - 1pm and my last guest didn't leave until 3:30 so I'd say it was a success.